Soft shell practice golf ball

ABSTRACT

A golf ball designed for practicing indoors. The golf ball comprises a soft-shelled flexible hollow spherical cage, a stitched hollow spherical cover enclosing the hollow spherical cage and granules enclosed in the hollow spherical cage. The spherical cage comprises a plurality of holes on its surface. The spherical cover is made by stitching a thread into a hollow spherical shape. Before closing the spherical cover, the spherical cage is inserted into it. The granules are then inserted in the spherical cage through the holes in its surface. Following which, the spherical cover is completely sealed by further stitching the thread.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

None

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates in general to golf balls, and more particularly to a soft shell golf ball suitable for practicing indoors.

A variety of methods and constructions procedures are used for manufacturing golf balls to improve and maintain characteristics such as roll, spin and flight. Generally, golf balls can be categorized into hard-shelled and soft-shelled structures. Hard shell golf balls are used for actual play and are suitable for practicing outdoors, whereas soft shell golf balls are used only for practice and are suited for indoor use. The typical structure of both hard and soft shell golf balls comprises a plurality of spherical layers around a core.

Several golf balls have been developed in art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,169 to Hiraoka discloses a golf ball comprising a core surrounded by a cover. The core comprises a center and an outer shell enclosing the center. The central part of the golf ball is made lighter by reducing the specific gravity of the center to 0.2 to 1, which increases the inertia moment of the golf ball and provides the golf ball with excellent flying distance.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,155 to Molitor discloses a golf ball comprising a non-cellular unitary core enclosed in a spherical cover, which in turn is enclosed in a spherical shell of a polymeric material. The unitary core is a liquid at the time of its introduction into the spherical cover. The spherical shell is primarily responsible for the high initial velocity obtained when the golf ball is struck by a golf club. Hiraoka and Molitor are not soft-shelled and are designed for playing outdoors as opposed to the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,981,959 to Landreth discloses a practice golf ball defined by a deformable spherical mass confined by a partition membrane. The membrane is encased in an outer cover comprising a hollow rubber sphere. The spherical mass comprises non-homogenous putty like semi-solid core. This practice golf ball has small lesser rebound, permitting its use in confined areas.

Int'l. Pat. No. JP2000300696 to Hirai discloses a golf ball designed for indoor play. The golf ball comprises a hollow spherical body enclosing a fluid or grains such as sand or beads. The golf ball further comprises a fiber layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of the spherical body by adhering or applying fibers consisting of synthetic fibers or natural fibers. This golf ball doesn't produce any noise when struck by a golf club. Although Landreth and Hirai are soft-shelled and suitable for playing indoors, the materials and the construction procedures of these devices differ from the present invention.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a golf ball that comprises a flexible hollow spherical cage, an outer cover stitched over the spherical cage to enclose the spherical cage and granules inside the spherical cage, thereby forming a soft structure suitable for practicing golf shots indoors.

A further object is to provide a soft shell golf ball designed to produce a realistic spin without the normal flight of a real golf ball.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a soft shell golf ball that allows a golfer to practice shots with the same force they would exert on a conventional hard shell golf ball. These and other objects of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the appended Summary, Description, and Claims.

SUMMARY

The present invention is a soft shell golf ball for practicing golf indoors. Compared to a conventional golf ball, the golf ball of the present invention has lesser rebound when struck by a golf club. The golf ball comprises granules, a hollow spherical rubber cage including a plurality of holes, and an outer hollow spherical cover enclosing the granules and the hollow spherical cage. Initially, a thread is used to stitch together a hollow spherical shape, including an opening. Prior to closing the sphere, the hollow spherical cage is inserted through the opening. Granules comprising up to 100% of the volume of the sphere are then fitted through the opening in the outer spherical cover and the holes in the hollow spherical cage. Following which, the opening is sealed by stitching the thread further, completely closing the outer spherical cover.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is perspective view of the golf ball of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hollow spherical cage in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially broken perspective view of the golf ball of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the golf ball of the present invention.

FIGURES—REFERENCE NUMERALS

10 . . . Golf Ball of the Present Invention

12 . . . Hollow Spherical Cover

14 . . . Hollow Spherical Cage

16 . . . Granule

18A . . . Big Hole in the Hollow Spherical Cage

18B . . . Small Hole in the Hollow Spherical Cage

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a soft shell practice golf ball is illustrated and generally indicated as 10 in FIGS. 1 through 4. The golf ball 10 of the present invention is suitable for practicing golf indoors or within restricted areas.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the golf ball 10 comprises a stitched outer hollow spherical cover 12, a hollow spherical cage 14, and granules 16. The spherical cover 12 is formed by stitching a thread to form a hollow spherical shape. Preferably nylon or poly thread is used for making the hollow spherical cover 12. The hollow spherical cage 14 is flexible and made of rubber or other similar elastic materials. The diameter of the hollow spherical cage 14 is approximately 38.5 mm and its thickness is around 1mm. The hollow spherical cage 14 includes a larger hole 18A having a diameter of approximately 10 mm and a plurality of small holes 18B. The diameter of each small hole is at least 3 mm. In one embodiment, plastic granules are used as the filler material.

In order to construct the golf ball 10, initially, a nylon or poly thread is stitched to form a hollow spherical shape, leaving an opening. Before completely closing the hollow spherical shape, the hollow spherical cage 14 is inserted through the opening. The granules 16 are then inserted in the hollow spherical cage 14 through the holes on its surface. The granules 16 comprise between 50% and 100%, preferably approximately 70% of the total volume of the golf ball. Following which, the opening is sealed by stitching the thread further in order to completely form the outer spherical cover 12. The outer spherical cover 12 is stitched to tightly enclose the hollow spherical cage.

The resultant golf ball 10 is approximately 43 mm in diameter. However, the diameter of the golf ball 10 may vary slightly depending on the type of the thread used to stitch the outer spherical cover 12. The soft-shelled structure of the golf ball 10 absorbs the impact of a swing and gives a golfer the same feel as a conventional hard shell golf ball but travels only a fraction of the distance, while maintaining the actual spin, roll and flight characteristics. In one embodiment, the outer spherical cover 12 is formed by crocheting a thread.

All features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation. 

1. A soft shell practice golf ball comprising; a. a flexible hollow spherical cover; b. a flexible hollow spherical cage, comprising a plurality of holes on its surface within the hollow spherical cover; and c. granules within the cover and cage.
 2. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer spherical cover is made by stitching together a thread.
 3. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the granules occupy 50 to 99 percent of the volume of the golf ball.
 4. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer spherical cover is made with natural fibers, including cotton, or synthetic fibers, including nylon or polyester thread.
 5. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the outer spherical cover is made by stitching together a material.
 6. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the hollow spherical cage is made of an elastic material, including rubber.
 7. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the granules are comprised of synthetic materials including plastic and nylon, natural materials including seeds or sand granules, or a combination of natural and synthetic materials.
 8. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the hollow spherical cage is between 20 and 50 millimeters.
 9. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diameter of each of the holes in the hollow spherical cage is between 1 and 10 millimeters.
 10. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the golf ball is between 10 and 60 millimeters.
 11. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 8, wherein the diameter of the hollow spherical cage is 38.5 millimeters, the diameter of each of the holes in the hollow spherical cage is 3 millimeters, and the diameter of the golf ball is 43 millimeters.
 12. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diameter of one of the holes in the hollow spherical cage is at least 10 mm, and the diameter of the rest of the holes in the hollow spherical cage is at least 3 mm.
 13. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the hollow spherical cage is made of an elastic material, including rubber.
 14. The soft shell practice golf ball of claim 1, wherein the granules are made of plastic.
 15. A method of making a soft shell practice golf ball comprising the steps of: a. providing a flexible hollow spherical cage including a plurality of holes on its surface; b. providing a hollow spherical cover, leaving a small opening in its surface, the hollow spherical cover being dimensioned to enclose the hollow spherical cage; c. inserting the hollow spherical cage into the hollow spherical cover through the opening; d. filling granules in the hollow spherical cage through the small opening of the hollow spherical cover and the holes in the hollow spherical cage, so that the granules occupy a proportion of the volume of the golf ball; and e. closing the small opening to fully enclose the hollow spherical cage and granules seal the golf ball and, thereby completely forming the outer spherical cover that tightly encloses the hollow spherical cage.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the hollow spherical cover is made by stitching together a thread.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the thread is a natural or synthetic fiber.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein a crochet stitch is used to stitch the thread together to form the hollow spherical cover. 